the president joining msnbc's chris matthews for a town hall at american university. it's part of hardball's college tour. one day after the president held a youth summit at the white house and addressed the low numbers among that very group head-on. take a look. >> i do remember what it's like being 27 or 28, and aside from the occassional basketball injury, you know, most of the time i kind of felt like i had nothing to worry about. of course, that's what most people think until they have something to worry about. >> so this also comes on the heels of sobering poll numbers from an online harvard university survey showing more than 50% of adult, 18 to 29 disapprove of the affordable care act and more than 50% of respondents in the same age group now disapprove of how the president is doing his job. >> they look at the landscape and they say, well, who has anything to offer?

what are people offering me? so they look at obama and say you haven't done a great job in the past couple of years with respect to my situation. >> earlier i got a chance to speak to chris matthews about his interview coming up and i asked him what he thought he would hear first from the president. >> the president will come with a purpose and let him meet that purpose first off the bat and he will appeal to the people in that audience to be grown-ups and to get engaged with the health care system and take responsibility for their own health even though they're young and healthy at this point. i think he'll have to make a pitch like that and he'll have to deal with the nsa story that's out in the post dealing with surveillance. let him do that because that's why he's coming to do this and then get into questions that i want to get into, with executive management and political dysfunction in this country that we talk about all of the time in the program and get into some easier questions, for example, voter suppression efforts by the republicans so he can bite into

that and perhaps get into questions and immoral use of drones and the solid attempt to avert a war with iran and then we'll get into fun stuff at some point here, if we have time. >> we used to have a lot of money to do this kind of stuff and we're doing it again because it's the president, but i have to give credit to president and his team. they called up a week or so ago and they thought they would be able to do it and meet the request for weeks and months now, but before a college audience, they wanted to do that and i think it will be exciting to see the president in front of a young group that he knows he has to convince. >> we look at the harvard poll just out and 54% of millennials now disapprove of the president's performance. so how much of this is trying to get back under the tent to get them to believe in the aca and if this is about personal responsibility and also knowing that this is sending people into the private markets. >> i don't want to get too high-toned about it, but you

know, in the kennedy era there was a sense of being called to duty and meet your personal responsibility to the country, and i don't know whether that's a big part of this or not because obviously the role of self-interest is paramount, but i do think that you could ask a person if you're on a motorcycle and you wipe out, and i used to ride a motor bike or drive one, and you wipe out on the highway, do you expect someone to come by and pick you up and emergency responders, get you to a hospital, clean sheet, clean operating table and you're on a gurnet and best doctors available to save your life and get you into a bed with good nursing care and good convalescence. who is paying for that? is your plan to put a sign on you, let me lie here like road kill or give me the best health care this country has to offer. who will pay for it? a responsible person will say you what? that's as reasonable as asking me to have a driver's license. that's as reasonable as asking

me to take a driver's test and to not be under the influence of drugs and alcohol. i think people have to be challenged that way. >> we look forward to it tonight. part of the hardball college tour from american university. thank you, sir. >> tom a thanks so much. >> be sure to set your dvr and watch this live. it will be good stuff and the sitdown with president obama is part of that hardball college tour starting at 7:00 p.m. eastern from american university right here on msnbc. week one of the white house obama care media blitz does continue and today president obama will focus his message on the laws and the benefits for people with pre-existing medical conditions. this as the white house announces some 56,000 people and their successful enrollment in coverage during exchanges. that's more than double the enrollees for the entire month of october and all of this as the administration ramps up, too, december 23rd and the enrollment deadline for january

1st coverage, jim mcdermott, senior member of the house, ways and means committee. >> as we look back at the calendar, it was two weeks ago when they assembled this team, the senate and house strike teams and what was their task versus the daily barrage of messages that we'll see on tap from the white house. can you explain the difference? >> it looks to me like it's all one plan because you really have to keep pushing and letting people know and try and build momentum in the public the real problem here is public education, if you have never had health insurance before, you don't know how it works and you've never applied for it and never done anything, you need to be educated and there's a whole lot of people out there who have not had health insurance before or how to use it. >> there are a lot of people who don't have computers and a lot of people are watching television about this sort of thing, so you have a real public

education problem that goes with any major social change like this. it was no different for social security or for medicare or for the drug benefit under medicare. there's always a lot of education that has to be done. >> we know that there's a renewed sense of confidence certainly coming from the white house and certainly coming from democrats who have been anxious about this, and i know that as of tuesday in your state more than 175,000 residents have enrolled in health care coverage since october 1st and we know since november 14th, enrollments have increased by 55%. in your opening remarks from yesterday's committee hearing from the aca implementation and you related from the constituent who called your office and they were irate that their plan was cancelled and the next day that same person called you back. he went on the exchange and found a better plan for less than what he was paying before. so have these success stories gotten lost in the dynamic of

that it's easier to cover the the negativity than it is to cover the positivity? >> i think there isn't anything that goes on in society that you can't find 100 people who are against it and unfortunately, a lot of the press is focused on the negative side. good news is not the kind of stuff that you put on the evening news and you put on fires and rapes and murders and buildings falling down and avalanches. you don't put the good stories out there and i think there are an awful lot of them. what really is required here is patience. people have to gradually figure out what's a good thing for them, go out and find out where it is. it's now possible to do it. some states who have their own state exchanges are better prepared than the states that have waited for the federal government, but it's even possible on the federal website now to do it. >> access is getting better, certainly through the federal and as you point out, statewide nib tiff for states that have had the exchanges up and

running, we hear a lot of talk about connect in kentucky and i'll have the kentucky governor steve bashir later in the show to talk about the success they have seen and remarkable success in kentucky and when you opted not to open their own state exchange and the ones they have opted to to expand medicaid and do you think the republicans will regret that decision in 2014? >> absolutely. >> you see, what's going to happen is that people in tennessee and the states around kentucky are going to meet their 14s in ken tuck whole tell them how great it is in kentucky and the people in the other states will say why don't we have that if our state? what's wrong with our legislature? what's wrong with our congressman? he's been telling us don't sign up for this thing. what's going on here? this will turn and bite people who were opposing it all of this time because americans want security around their health

insurance. and this is offered to them and they are being given a propaganda barrage that really drives them away from it right now, but it's going come back. it's like the tide goes out and the tide's coming back. >> thanks so much for joining me. i appreciate it. >> you're welcome. so you watched this live during the show yesterday. president obama's powerful remarks on income and equality. >> the idea that a child may never be able to escape that poverty because she lacks a decent education or health care or a community that views her future as their own, that should offend all of us. >> here we are 24 hours later and some calling it one of the most important speeches of president obama's history in office. why? the agenda panel will dig in on that and we're following this developing news where fast food workers across the country, protesting and calling for higher wages and will the demonstrations make a difference?

katy tur will join me from the site of one protest in new york city and this is the topic of our big question for you today. do you think today's protest will have any impact on the living wage debate? we have major cities where fast food workers will walk out at the height of lunchtime, weigh in on facebook or twitter. we'll get your remarks on the air. [ female announcer ] it balances you...

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developing news coming out of new york city. we are showing you a live look at a news conference being held right you in. it's where the incoming mayor bill de blasio just announced his pick for the next police commissioner, a man who has served as police commissioner in nyc, bill bratton. bratton led the department from '94 until '96 until then mayor giuliani. he served as top cop in los angeles and you may recognize

him as well as serving as a contributor for nbc news. a second story we're following for you. fast food workers in more than 100 major cities are just getting by on low wages. they have just started walking out in cities like chicago. the protests are part of the nationwide effort that begana i year ago to demand a living wage. the increase will make a huge difference in their lives. >> we're constantly making decisions on rent as far as bills and as far as medicine. so we have to juggle that each and every week and it's two people with two incomes and it's still not enough. >> i am fed up with $8.25. i've been with the company for 11 years now and i still can't make ends meet. i can't buy a pair of shoes for my kid and knowing my daughter can get the new shoes she needs for school and not waiting for someone to give me their used stuff. that means a lot. >> katy tur is outside of a

wendy's in brooklyn. so, katy, what are you hearing from people who worked there and what is the response from people that are walking by that know this might happen. are they inspired by this? do they think it's noes bring attention? >> reporter: it depends on who you talk to. a lot of people that walk by say good for them, go for it and try to get more money. others say this is a union-backed protest and they're not asking for anything, and they're just being influenced by the unions. the protests here will start about half an hour and there are 50 to a hundred of them down here. they're asking for $7.25 to $15 an hour and $7.25 is the current minimum wage and do you think most of these fast food workers are teenagers and young people you wouldn't quite be correct. most of them are over the age of 28 and two-thirds of them are women. they say they're working two jobs in a lot of cases and they can't afford the bare

necessities and can't afford to feed their families and they're capped out at 35 hours a week and that's why they need extra jobs. there were protests over the summer that had mixed results and in some cases people were able to disrupt cases in these fast food joints and business went on as usual and they're hoping today that there are thousands across the country. >> katy tur. we'll check back in with you. thank you very much and see you soon. joining us from kansas city, is melinda topper and she's a mcdonald's employee. she's a mom of three who up until recently has been in and out of homeless shelters with her kids because she simply can't aed for a place on her own. >> joining me at 30 rock, and an advocacy organization. the food industry is against these wage increases and they

say mainly because it would kill jobs, they say. in a statement they're calling this demonstration according -- they're saying it's a coordinated pr campaign engineered by national labor groups where the vast majority of participants are act vifrts and paid demonstrators. few restaurant workers have participated in the past. as we heard from katy, most people do think the fast food workers are teens. they're just working to make extra cash, but the reality of the situation is most workers are adults and specifically women like yourself who have families, kids to support. melinda, do you think that many fast food workers like yourself are able to qualify for food stamps because that's how you're getting by. explain to all of us how much of a difference it would make for your life if you made $15 an hour? >> it would make a difference because i would be able to meet my bills. i would be able it meet my rent and buy my kids the shoes they need for school, the clothes they need for school. i wouldn't have to depend on state agencies to feed my kids.

i would be able to get medical insurance. i, myself, have diabetes. i have a heart condition. i'm unable to go to the doctor. i'm unable to get my medication. i just can't afford it. i'm barely -- i can't even afford to may my rent and utilities. i have to decide which one to pay. how much work -- >> how many hours are you logging and as katy was pointing out in her report, certain employees cap out at these restaurants at 35 hours and aren't considered full-time employees. >> yes. >> how much time are you logging? >> i'm logging between 33 and 35 hours a week. >> between 33 and 35 hours a week and how much money are you receiving from the federal government food stamp wise to supplement your income? >> at the moment i receive $600 a month in food stamps. >> mel ibdindmelinda, stand by . we are hearing melinda is up to

35 hours a week and still needs federal assistance from taxpayers to get by. we heard the president speak about the economy. i just want to remind everybody what he had to say. take a look. >> we know there are airport workers and fast food workers and nurse assistants and retail sales people who work their tails off, and are still living at or barely above poverty, and that's why it's well past the time to raise a minimum wage that in real terms right now is below where it was when harry truman was in office. >> so, paul, if we look at certain states, california, new jersey, new york, they've raised minimum wage requirements, but on a national level, how effective are demonstrations like what we'll see today to help elevate the conversation to where it needs to be? >> i've been following involved with wage campaigns for more than 20 years. i've never seen this level of

national focus and momentum, and in particular, states are already starting to act and they're pushing for much more significant increases in the minimum wage that bring it much closer to the historic level. the president and congress have called for $10 an hour. california has approved $10 an hour and then last week, a tech entrepreneur filed a ballot initiative to go to $12 one upping it. other states and massachusetts, illinois, maryland are moving toward ten or more. in the high-cost city they're leading the way. the seatac where the seattle airport is a priefd $15 wage and now seattle, chicago, new york are calling for similar higher minimum wages approaching the $15 level. >> a statement from mcdonald's, and our owner operators are commit providing, and we invest in training and professional development that helps them learn practical and transferable business skills. melinda, does that speak to you and do you feel like you have a career path now being at a

restaurant like mcdonald's or do you think that this is just a stepping-stone to somewhere else? >> well, i've been with mcdonald's for ten years, so, you know, there is a career in mcdonald's that you can move up, but as far as the competitive wages, yeah, they might pay what other fast food places pay, but it's not enough. it's not a livable wage. that's why we're striking together. we're standing in numbers all over the country to let them know that even though you're giving us compatible pay, it's not enough and we are not able to support our family and not able to meet our bills on what you guyses are paying us. >> paul song with the national employment law project. >> melinda, thanks for sharing your story with us. we do appreciate it and we will continue to cover this by going back to katy tur to see about the demonstrators in new york. >> a close encounter of the four-legged kind and see more of a little girl's adorable tumble with the white house dog.

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yemen's defense ministry has killed as many as 23 people. gunmen rammed a car full of explosives. the attack reportedly targeted a hcht which was inside that complex. an nba basketball game last night in mexico city had to be called off after smoke poured into the building. police say the arena had to be evacuated 45 minutes before the game was scheduled to start because of a fire in the generator room. a brutal winter storm carrying snow, ice and sleet is heading east. one minnesota town on the banks of lake superior has already seen three feet of snow. >> it doesn't look good for a group of whales stranded in shallow water. ten have died in the waters of everglades national park. specialists are trying to move the 41 survivors into deeper water, and if you have not logged into facebook today you might want to check your account. >> the computer hackers have scooped up the user names and passwords of about 2 million

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as the white house continues to promote the affordable health care for all, a new report highlights just how much states opting not to expand medicare are losing. according to the commonwealth fund, states not expanding medicaid under obama care will collectively lose more than 35 billion in federal funds in 2022 alone. this report covered 20 states all with republican governors and/or state legislatures that refuse to expand medicaid under the law after the u.s. supreme court made it optional in june. joining me now is kentucky governor steve bashir. sir, we talked about this and the success your state has seen because it's being held up as the state of success. all of whom are now eligible to be covered either through medicaid expansion or your state-run health exchange.

your state's success was a result of planning and testing, but i'm curious, have you heard from other governors or state officials outside of the boundaries here that look at your success and want to know how you got this right and how they can replicate that in their own states? >> i've talked to some other governors as well as our staff talking to their staffs and trying to help out in any way we can. obviously, each state is unique that's why i am will so glad that we made the decision early with all of our stakeholders to design a website for kentucky and about kentucky. it works for us. it's simple. it's direct and we allow people to go out and browse and get the information they need before they open up an account and it's really worked well. >> as we look, though, at what your state is doing well and why other governors are saying they won't work for them because they opted out of expanding medicaid because they can't afford it even though and this is where the contradiction comes in, the government is picking up the

full tab for the first three years. so we have jan brewer of arizona and john kasich of ohio. what do you say to the governors who would put out the excuse they can't afford it. >> i would ask them to do just what i did, thomas. i had the question, too. i knew it was morally the right thing to do. i asked outside experts. i asked pricewaterhouse coopers and i said you go look at this and tell me what it's going do to kentucky or for kentucky. they came back in about six months and looked me in the eye and said governor, you can't afford not to do this. they said it will infuse over the next eight years about $15 billion into your economy. you are going create about 17,000 new jobs and your budget will improve by $800 million. so once i had that information, you know, we started going ahead

as fast as we could because those $640,000 people are out here working every day, making a living and supporting their family, but they get up each day and roll the dice and hope and pray they don't get sick because they know they're one bad diagnosis away from bankruptcy. no one deserves to live like that. >> sir, thanks for your time, i appreciate it. >> president obama's speech at the center for american progress getting buzz today and for several reasons. the washington post says, quote, it's the best speech obama has given on the economy and it's a provocative speech on race and politico says it is his most substantive on the intersection of race and politics, and this is our topic for the agenda panel today. we have serena maxwell, condition contributor to the grio, and sabrina is from "the huffington post." the president has not spoken much about race in his speeches and that's why so many ears

perked up yesterday to this. here's what he had to say about this about why that is contributed and why washington considers to act on issues on economic inequality. take a listen. >> there is the myth that this is a problem restricted to a small share of predominantly minority poor. this isn't a broad-based problem. it's a black problem or a hispanic problem or a native-american problem. >> he said this is one of the better speeches he's given in trying to lay it out realistically and honestly about race in the country, but why do you feel that way that this theme was able to resonate through where it hasn't before from him. >> because i think that the problems that have long plagued african-american community are impacting everyone and so this message really hits home with people that are really making poverty wages and not able, even though they're working full time to feed their families and i think that that message resonates with you no matter what race you are because it's an issue about class and where

those in the class intersect. >> two years ago we saw a similar speech from the president like this one, but at that point it was a different part of his presidency. so explain why we're seeing this intersection come up once again. >> it's a different part of his presidency, but the politics were very similar. president obama just came off a brutal fight with republicans over the debt ceiling. he faced reelection in the year and he was doing something to jack up his own approval and to also talk about what his presidency was about and to put some firmness behind that. he's doing that again and he's had a rough six weeks over the obama care website. he's trying to reframe this debate as they head into the midterm elections to be broader than just obama care, democrats realize that if this is about obama care in the mid-term elections it's not a good issue for them and even though we see positive things going on, they want things to be about more than that. for some, this is a signal about getting his mojo back.

>> the president's economic policies improve government reliance rather than economic mobility and rather than tackling income inequality by lifting people up, he's been fixated on taxing some down. >> why do you think republicans seem so fixated on the government reliance narrative and this tax and spend. this tax and spend phrase that they of the to use over and over again? >> that's the only message that they've been able to promote, and i think a lot of the republican message has been similar to mitt romney's 47% comments and it's a problem for republicans because they spend the majority of the time since the 2012 elections trying to cut food stamps and we also know they oppose a minimum wage hike with respect to sequestration and they expressed concerns over the cuts and they've disproportionately impacted on those relying on headstart and meals on wheels and the rnc had

come up with the 2012 autopsy report and it urged republicans to reach out to the poor and not simply be the party of the wealthiest americans and come up with policies that would actually lift americans out of poverty and they continued to push this anti-obama agenda and that's why they're reframing the debate around the economy because they know that's a winning issue for them and republicans to this point have not been able to come up with the response that's resonated with both the middle class as well as low-income americans and demographics that they failed to reach out to in the 2012 race. >> chris matthews and his "hardball" interview with the president. >> are you surprised by the millennials' fair weatherness over the millennials and their thoughts. >> i think millennials are a fickle group. millennials in particular will be thanking the froms and obama care. i don't think that they're going

to stay with this feeling that they're abandoning the president. i think going to the doctor is going to be a plus for democrats. >> what do you hope to hear tonight? >> i think more of the same. i think what you heard yesterday. i think you will hear tonight on this interview and i think you'll hear it in the state of the union address in january. a broader message and about why this president is about and why people backed him two times for president. >> he said yesterday this is not my state of the union and he made a joke about that and people laughed, but it hit on those themes. sabrina, do you think the december 23rd date when they want to tout positivity about this until that time, that date, december 23rd, do you think they can get this off the ground and do so? >> they're focusing very hard on doing that and they are a little bit behind, but part of that message will be a key part of the interview tonight, and i think that with the president, one of the biggest problem, is of course, encouraging people to sign up for the health care exchanges and the young population, in particular and it is dependent in the success of

the law on the young block signing up and that is a lot of what we're going to hear tonight and in the coming weeks. >> sabrina sadikcks and you can watch chris matthews' interview with president obama tonight on "hardball" on msnbc and then you can switch over and watch "the sound of music" at 8:00. you can always find us thomasroberts.msnbc.com. we're aig. and we're here. to help secure retirements and protect financial futures. to help communities recover and rebuild. for companies going from garage to global. on the ground, in the air, even into space. we repaid every dollar america lent us. and gave america back a profit. we're here to keep our promises. to help you realize a better tomorrow. from the families of aig, happy holidays.

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of taking the correct dose at the right time. if we are going to call ourselves the land of opportunity there's got to be some opportunity. and what our families are looking for, looking at right now is stagnation. they're not coming up, they are stuck. stuck in a low-wage job, stuck without benefits and stuck wanting to know what to do when the baby is sick, but you've got to go to work. stuck trying to figure out what's going to happen. that was congressman keith ellison speaking just moments ago at a rally in washington, d.c., the nation's capital is the more than 100 cities where fast food workers are walking off the job to protest low wages and are demanding a living wage of $15 an hour. we want to go back to nbc's katy tur live outside a wendy's. what a difference 30 minutes makes. >> reporter: about a hundred people are protesting at this wendy's and they tried to shut

it down. there's security inside and pretty effective getting no one able to walk into this wendy's during the afternoon rush and the lunch rush, if you will. they were chanting a moment ago, we can't survive off $7.25 and that's the heart of the issue. they're saying that $7.25 and the minimum wage is not enough to live on. they're asking for $15 an hour and calling that an actual living wage. many of these workers you might think are teenagers, most are over women over the age of 28. they're capped at $35 an hour. fast food corporation say a raise in their wages like that, $15 an hour just isn't possible. it's not feasible. they say they won't be able to operate and that they'll have to pass down the hike on to the consumers, raising the price of food. there are no hard numbers on this, thomas, but there are estimates throughout that say a burger could go from $3 to

$3.50. these workers say that's not a big deal. some labor economists say it's also not a big deal because they won't be on social services like meal tickets and welfare. they'll be able to pay more in taxes and you won't have to pay more. you and i won't have to pay more into the social service system. >> thomas? >> the expectation from organizers is that workers will walk out from behind the counters and join the demonstrators. >> have you seen anybody from this location actually do that? >> reporter: i have not seen -- i have not seen anyone from this location actually do that. to be fair, though, they're completely block the entrance and i can't tell if anybody's been able to walk out. no one has been able to get in there, if anyone has walked off the job they've melded into the crowd. i have not seen that why the. >> thanks so much. we appreciate it. >> today's protests were also the subject of the question of the day. do you think today's protestses will have any impact on the living wage debate? steven tweeted, not as long as there are greedy execs who don't

care about anything, but their profit. wise guy shares this. the minimum wage issue is a band-aid on a bleeding economy and from izy, i can appreciate low-wage workers wanting a better wage to live on, but $15 an hour for a low-impact job is not feasible. so sunny steals the show. it's time for the poly side bar. the newest pup sunny took down a toddler yesterday at the white house. a 2-year-old girl was visiting for the unveiling of the holiday decoration. the little girl was just fine. the two kissed and made up. anybody with with a young dog and young kid knows how this goes. >> it's no secret that president obama likes his sports and espn and according to the hollywood reporter, the sports fan in chief recently revealed that it's on his bucket list to host "sportscenter "sportscenter's" top ten list. the massachusetts democratic senator shooting down speculation this week that she's eyeing a run for the white

house. warren saying, quote, i am working as hard as i can to be the best possible senator that i can be and president 41 is known for his love of a good pair of socks. look at these, his latest pair features his own face. the socks were apparently a gift from a fan in canada. pretty cool. >> and toronto mayor, ron ford's new show has been canceled. ford recently admitted to smoking crack will join a sports radio show here in the states. the title "sports junkies," and have you seen that new volvo ad starring jean claude van dam. you probably have. it's eye-catching and a republican congressional candidate in georgia who happens to own his own trucking company is out with his own version and in it he takes a dig at obama care. >> what you see is a small business confronted with obama care, a disastrous government

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so this saturday marks 72 years since the bombing of pearl harbor. also a time to remember prisoners of war and those missing in action during world war ii. the project is an organization that helps bring closure for some of these families by funding search operations in the islands for the remains and inside the battleships of planes that were taken down during the war. dr. patrick scannon leads the project which is the crew that conducts the underwater searches. also joining me in studio, tommy doyle whose father was a crew member of a bomber shot down during the war and able to find closure for his family. gentlemen, great to have you here. doctor, i want to start with you. i understand you've gotten calls and letters from hundreds of families looking for closure. walk us through the process of

how you began your searches and what you can do for people. >> about 20 years ago i came across wreckage that was american and realized there were a lot of americans shot down behind enemy lines and remained missing. we began a process of first archival searches and interviews and fieldwork which involves jungle and underwater searches for locate the wreck sites where these missing americans remain. >> so tommy, you heard about this, you and your wife heard about this. you contacted dr. scannon to see how you would be able to do this. explain emotionally why did you want to do this and how did you prepare yourself. we're looking at a video of you and the experience. >> well, actually contacted to say we had heard about his search and just to say my father

went down, if you ever hear anything, we'd like to know. found out he had been looking for my father's plane for six years. four years later they finally found it. we've kind of been involved with him for a while. he said, you know, if you would like to come over and go out to where the plane is, i'd love to. >> i said i want to go down to where it is. he said get certified and we did. that's basically what we did, got certified to be a scuba driver and got on the plane and went over there. >> explain what this was like for you, to have that experience and see the plane physically. >> to actually go down and touch the plane -- all my life i never -- i was 15 when my father left. i never knew him. to go down and touch the plane, the remains were in the plane, in the near vicinity. it was a very emotional thing for me. it was a chance for me to make contact with my father i never had before in my life.

>> we're seeing this video, images of you with the plane. what was going through your mind and what goes through your mind when you've seen this. obviously there's some time passed. >> still my heart rate was pounding. you can see me blowing a lot of air through there. i felt like i made a connection with my father i had never had a chance to make before. for me just to be -- i'm so thankful for dr. scannon, bentprop, all these people, they are fabulous people that do things -- they are out looking for remains of people they don't know. he didn't know me. there is a lot of others. they don't do it for that. they do it because it's something that needs to be done. they are great people. >> we hear from tommy's experience how important and impactful this was for him. from a scientific perspective, this is very unique. what's the most challenging part

from that aspect, knowing there's a scientific perspective but such an emotional perspective these artifacts, remains for the families. >> i suppose the most you need is perseverance and patience because it takes a lot of time, in other words, to use the scientific method and develop the grid searches and to make sure you follow all the leads that you have takes a lot of time. but you're absolutely right. when you're under water and come around the corner and see that wreck site for the first time and you know there are americans missing and maybe right in front of you, your heart skips a beat for sure. it's a great experience. i do want to express my gratitude not only to these americans but also to the families. >> dr. patrick scannon, that's so much. tommy doyle, thanks for coming in and sharing part of your

story. we appreciate it. that's going to wrap it up for me. "now" with alex wagner next. hi, alex. >> hi, thomas. a major strike demanding higher wages. we will discuss with keith eleison and national employment law projects jack temple along with panelist gabriel snyder, jamal simmons. plus president obama moves onward and upward. we'll discuss his pivot from the health care to the economy. and we will talk with new york attorney general eric schneiderman on the multi-million dollar crackdown of jpmorgan and the future of too big to fail. all that when "now" starts right after this. your family the very best in taste, freshness, and nutrition? it's eb. want to give them more vitamins, omega 3s, and less saturated fat? it's eb. eggland's best eggs. eb's. the only eggs that make better taste and better nutrition... easy. eggland's best eggs.

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where does the united states get most of its energy? is it africa? the middle east? canada? or the u.s.? the answer is... the u.s. ♪ most of america's energy comes from right here at home. take the energy quiz. energy lives here. how much longer can fast-food ceos hold the line at $7.25? it's thursday december 5th and this is "now."

from houston to kansas city, from chicago to indianapolis, memphis to charlotte, pittsburgh to boston and on over to new york city. fast-food workers in 100 cities across the country are walking off the job today to demand higher wages. right now the median hourly wage for fast-food workers nationwide is $8.94 an hour. that is about $18,000 a year, which is just above the federal poverty level for a family of three. the goal of today's strike is simple. workers want to earn a living wage of $15 an hour, a wage that would allow them to raise their families without having to live in poverty. their employers, mcdonald's, burger king, taco bell and wendy's have seen soaring profits while workers have seen little to no gain in years. last year mcdonald's brought in $5.5 billion in profits, a 27% increase over five